Her Secret Garden
by Evelyn Rosewood
Summary: When Riza must leave town suddenly, she asks Fury to take care of her apartment. When he is unable to do so, Roy steps in, and finds a few of her personal belongings that expose a Riza he never knew and tugs at his heart...so bad at summaries...Royai
1. Wilted

Her Secret Garden

By: Antiquefirefly

Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and the characters therein are property of Himoru Arakawa. I own nothing, save a plotline, and a few original characters.

Chapter I "Wilted"

A cool autumn breeze swirled about the grounds; provoking a few leaves to join it for a short-lived waltz. The array of amber, and fiery red fell in a slow wispy pattern to the earth as their dance partner died away. Gentle rays of golden light shined through the window panes behind him, gracing his shoulders as hands of a certain protective officer often did.

Roy Mustang sighed in annoyance, repositioning his hunched shoulders. Lieutenant Hawkeye was never late and the mystery of her absence was grating at his nerves. Already the others had placed bets on her tardy appearance, ranging from a kidnapping to feminine issues.

"There is no way someone could kidnap her!" Fury insisted, shaking his head.

"What if they took her gun away? Then what would she do?" Havoc countered smugly.

"She'd still kill them" Brida interjected, "No way in hell I'd face her in any situation…"

Havoc was just conjuring his reply when the door was thrust open and a weary, thrown-together Riza Hawkeye rushed in. The most unusual sight was her long, gray skirt and soft white sweater. She ignored the questioning looks thrown her and went straight to her Colonel's desk. She handed him a slip of paper and turned back to Fury, her eyes never averting from their forward thoughtful stare.

"Kain, I know this is last minute, but could you please feed Black Hayate for me? I would appreciate it very much if you could also water my plants." The dark haired young man nodded slowly as he stared at her unsurely. Hawkeye had spoken softly, her amber eyes at the floor as she handed him a small list and key. She turned back to Roy and calmly stated a few things, voice low. She let out a frustrated growl as strands of her sunny hair fell from her clip, and pulled it out in annoyance. The glistening mane fell down her back and swayed slightly as she exited the room.

"What….was that?" Brida murmured, looking towards their commanding officer as the others had done. "Hawkeye has had a death in the family, and has to return home for a few days. She asked me to sign her leave pass." The Colonel explained briefly. "Havoc, take this down to processing if you will…" he said, eyes never leaving the door.

"I guess that's why she wanted me to take care of Hayate for her…" Fury stated, eyeing the key in his hand unsurely. At the sound of this statement, Havoc, ignoring the paper in his hand, began fantasizing about the things in Riza's apartment. "I bet she has whips and chains and….." his voice trailed off as his imagination took hold.

Despite his distraction and slight interest in what could occupy the mysterious apartment, Roy could not help but feel a tightening in his chest as he realized what little family Riza had left.

A/N: OK, I know this was short, but it was sort of like a prologue ne? Mou, tell me what you think

Sasa 3


	2. Unable

Her Secret Garden

By: Antiquefirefly

Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and the characters therein are property of Himoru Arakawa. I own nothing, save a plotline, and a few original characters.

A/N: OK, there may be possible spoilers for the manga in the next chapter, as I am trying to follow along with it. If you know who Roy's first alchemy teacher is your good, otherwise spoilers await.

Chapter II "Unable"

A new day dawned at central, one without a certain blonde lieutenant, and one that was not treating Roy kindly. The man groaned as he massaged his temples in annoyance. For once, this headache was not brought on by drinking, bad dreams, or arguments; it was a mysterious affliction that was more nagging than painful. Roy was always latest to arrive, so it was no surprise to find his fellow officers grilling poor Fury about the contents of Hawkeye's apartment he had visited the previous evening.

"It's really just a room guys..." the young man sighed, adjusting his glasses in his natural nervous way. "White walls, wood floors…..nothing special."

"Yeah, yeah, what kind of underwear does Hawkeye wear eh?" Havoc asked, nudging the suddenly beet colored young man. "I wouldn't ever…never…" Sputtered Fury, his eyes darting everyplace but Havoc's awaiting grin.

Roy tuned all this out, gazing out the window, though the latter question did interest him. The creaking of the door caused them all to turn and look as one Miss Lucia Waldrop entered, spreading imaginary wrinkles form her modest military skirt as she cleared her throat. "Mail call." She said simply, dropping a rather large, but neatly stacked pile of rather fragrant envelopes on Roy's desk. Lucia was new to central, and held a position as one of the many receptionists. She carefully tucked a chocolate curl behind her ear and ignored Havoc's hungry stares as she placed a few envelopes on the other's desks. He had been pursuing her since her arrival, but she had finally explained to him she had her eyes on another. (Who this was, however, was a mystery.)

"Thank you Miss Waldrop." Fury said happily accepting the letter from his family. Lucia Flushed and smiled "Of course…..Sir…..may I ask you….well…." the girl began stumbling as her cheeks furiously burned in contrast to her ivory skin. Mustang raised a brow and smirked "Imagine that…" he thought, as he watched the attractive girl fidget and mumble.

"Miss Lucia!" He suddenly interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder after walking to stand between the two. "You have not been in Central long have you?" "Well…N-no sir…" she answered uncertainly, turning her mossy gaze towards him. "You must let me take you out tonight, I will not take no for an answer. There is this amazing little bistro that is rumored to be closing down soon; we must go before that happens!" Roy smirked as the girl looked helpless and cornered. "Sir that sounds wonderful…but…I-"She began, but was interrupted as Mustang slapped his head (regretfully) and exclaimed "I forgot! I am not allowed there anymore since I took Mr. Luiful's daughters on that "date"……..what can we do about this?" He said feigning thought. Lucia relaxed somewhat, though still looking confused.

"I know!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing the girl to cry out and drop the remaining mail in her hands. Fury dove to retrieve it as Roy continued. "Fury here has great taste in food, and is the perfect companion, he would be happy to take you out tonight!" Fury's head suddenly popped up and he stared at Roy from the floor "But sir! I have to feed Bl-"

"Nonsense! I have to take something by the lieutenant's apartment anyway, I'll be happy to do it for you!" Lucia looked quite unsure of how to react, but the other's, used to Roy's somewhat bi-polar bursts, calmly awaited her answer. A soft, flattering pink filled her cheeks as she looked down at Fury. "I would very much love to go…that is if you would be escorting me Sir…" she said smiling.

"It would be an honor…and please, call me Kain." He replied handing her the letters. He walked her to the door where they discussed hours for the date and returned red faced and amazed.

"Excuse me, while I go kill myself…." Havoc Fumed, exciting the room, as the other congratulated Fury on his date. "Thank you sir." Fury said eyes bright and shining as he stared at his Colonel. "Huh? Oh yeah….your welcome, even though I really just wanted to get rid of you so I could see her apartment…" was the bored reply. "But sir!" Fury exclaimed "I thought you had to take something by……." He trailed off as Mustang abruptly began washing the windows.

o o o

Riza groaned as the train jolted her awake, turning her head away from the dizzying array of color that greeted her from the window. She closed her eyes and mused how much it resembled an abstract art piece her father had once owned. The trees and golden fields blurred together with the cerulean sky to form streaks of fleeing color. "Soon…." She murmured carefully adjusting her position and returning to a place filled with gunpowder, semi automatics, and…eye patches?

O O O

Roy cursed as he tried for the fifth time to unlock the door. His excitement in finally being able to see inside her world was channeling through his abilities to do simple tasks. He shook his head and sighed "Why am I so excited? I've known her forever…why do I even care…." But in the back of his head a little voice murmured "Because you're addicted." Roy smirked and shook his head as the door creaked open. He had unlocked it while deep in thought. Black Hayate ran up to him, tail wagging, yet silent. The obedient creature instantly heeled at his feet and looked up at him curiously. Roy flicked on a light to better see the room, and was surprised to see a much more feminine area than he had imagined. Candles were sat here and there, as well as a vase of wildflowers on a small side table by the door. A white comfy-looking sofa sat upon wooden feet, matching the green chairs on either side, and coffee table before it. A beautiful creamy rug with a delicate white pattern rested beneath these and added warmth to the shining wooden floors. Roy was itching to wander the house but Black Hayate had other ideas. The dog scratched at his leg and whined impatiently. Roy knew the only other bathroom break the dog got was when the grandchild elderly lady upstairs let him out at lunch. This was written on the list Riza had given to Fury, now in Roy's possession. The child only stayed with her Grandmother until 3:00 in the afternoon, the reason Hawkeye had to have another person help with the task. Roy grumbled, but knew he would much rather face his grating curiosity than Hawkeye's gun if the dog relieved himself indoors.

"Come on, lets get this over with." He grumbled hooking the pup onto his leash. Roy took one last longing look at the room before closing the door and locking it. He hated responsibility……

Yay…I would write more but I have a massive headache. Tell me what ya think, FMA stories are good writing practice, I love the characters.

Sasa 3


	3. Warm

Her Secret Garden

By: Evelyn Rosewood

Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and the characters therein are property of Himoru Arakawa. I own nothing, save a plotline, and a few original characters.

A/N: OK, Sarah (me) has changed her hapless little mind and decided to make this based on what she knows…. The manga is too complicated to follow since I haven't read all of it but I'll try……..teehee Cept Roy IS going to know almost nothing about Riza's childhood. Oh yeah! I'm back! Sorry I got sick……two operations and 5 bouts of tonsillitis sick…..forgive me.

Chapter III "Warm"

The chilled air grew ever cooler as the sun made its' gentle descent into the horizon. Roy distracted himself by following the lazy swirls of color filling the sky. Pink mingled with violet and champagne in a watercolor appeal before fading into the night sky above. Black Hayate was taking his precious time sniffing this and that as he searched for the perfect place to relieve himself. Roy eyed the dog boredly, his dancing curiosity nipping at the edges of his attention span.

Black Hayate was a big dog now, a quite fearsome sight compared to his younger days. Riza had once told him the dog would reach his full size sometime after his first birthday. This had been one of their casual conversations while she had cared for him so many months ago. Roy pressed his fingers to the patch covering his left eye and part of his face; it felt like so long ago he had lost his eye.

The man was startled out of his reveire by the firm scrape of Hayate's paws against his boots. The dog sat obidiently at his feet and heartily barked in affirmation of his finished duty.

o O o

Riza Hawkeye had always been a deep thinker, and this was always taken the wrong way. All her life people she knew would suspect she thought rather highly of herself since she so rarely spoke. This of course was a quickly doused notion when one took the time to know Riza. She was, however, once again being judged as she walked down the streets of her hometown in thoughtful silence.

"What a pretty girl….but would it kill her to smile…" One woman whispered behind a gloved hand, eyes never leaving the young officers face.

"Yes…perhaps…my Amelia is five times as lovely…just because she is always smiling….men like optimistic women…" Was the reply of her collueage, who hid her ever discrimative glare by angling her ridiculous hat.

"No band on her finger…..we know why…." The other mused. The two ladies suddenly looked to each other and pretended to hold an animated conversation about the other's shoes as the blonde suddenly looked toward them with harsh amber eyes.

"What odd eyes too….much too intense…"

"Oh yes, Evii, You are too right…."

o O o

Roy cursed under his breath as he dropped the key right after getting the door unlocked. Fumbling half blindly in the dimly lit hallway, Roy cringed as his finger hit a nail sticking out form the molding at the bottom of the wall. Hearing the tortured rip of fabric and feeling the inevitable sting and drip of blood, he narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Black Hayate suddenly yipped, causing the man to jump then turn around and glare at the dog, only to find him sniffing the lost key.

"Finally…" Roy breathed stepping into the apartment and flipping the lights on. He inhaled deeply the faint scent of gunpowder laced with a floral scent he could not quite decipher. Black Hayate scampered towards the kitchen in want of food. Roy followed in want of a bandage.

The small but warm kitchen struck a chord deep inside the soldier he was unable to articulate. The simple white cupboards and mint green counter tops had a soft French- country appeal, and the various plants and flowers filling pots all about the room added to the charm. Somehow, though he had never known her love for flowers, it made sense, and the floral smell melted into the smoky bite of gunpowder quite fragrantly. Roy was robbed of this thought as a wet tongue stung the small gash in his finger.

Black Hayate cocked his head to the side and nuzzled the man's offended palm. Grumbling, Roy spotted the dog's food and poured a heaping pile into the ceramic dish. Rummaging through the cupboards for some kind of bandage almost proved fruitless, for the exception of discovering his female officer had quite the sweet tooth. Deciding she would never miss it, Roy popped a lemon flavored candy into his mouth and opened the last drawer, revealing an organized tray of creams, medicines and a box of what he sought.

o O o

Riza groaned inwardly as she arrived at her family's estate. Already, various little cousins and squabbling elders filled the side lawn, teacups or pastries in hand. Although the woman tried to make a quiet and unnoticed entrance, it was soon quashed when a high pitched voice shrieked in excitement over her arrival.

"Aunt Rizi!!" The little girl exclaimed, pointing a tiny finger in her direction. An epiphany of excited giggles and squeals followed as every child on that forsaken lawn raced towards her.

Roy found himself humming as he finished wrapping his small wound. Smiling at his handiwork, the man looked towards the watering can on a window sill nearby. It really was surprising that Riza had so many flowers. One might suspect the austere officer of owning a ficus, cactus, or maybe even aloe vera, but the notion of so many colorful blooms was rather surprising. In fact, most of the plants in the apartment were blooming in some bright array or another, filling his eyes with a barrage of silky hues.

The watering went well, and Roy, though he would never admit it, found the exercise very calming really. Sure, he had probably drowned half of the floral population in Riza's world, but it felt oddly satisfying to take care of something she loved so. Roy finished the last plant, a beautiful little patch of tiny white flowers, shyly glancing up at him in thanks for the care.

As the man was about to replace the watering can, a small click caught his attention, sending charcoal orbs downward in its' direction. Seeing one of the buttons off of his handsome military jacket, the colonel scowled. Most days he despised looking less than perfect, and tomorrow a new receptionist was coming in. Stooping to retrieve the fallen component, Roy's knee caught the edge of a small box, causing it to slide to the floor.

Roy cursed seeing the many articles that had slid out of the box, and putting his prized button in his pocket began wearily picking said articles up. It was odd that Riza would leave a box sticking out like that. It was on one of the lower shelves of a small wooden plant stand, plants only being on top, and the bottom levels crammed with books and other small boxes. Roy suddenly realized that one of the plants long vines hid the lower shelves, revealing why he had not seen the box sticking out right away. Turniong his attention back to the fallen insides of that box he stared. There, on the floor were hundreds of pictures, and currently resting in his gloved hand was a picture of a serious but very young Riza.

A large, almost frightening smile suddenly graced the man's handsome face. Riza had not wanted anyone to realize these things were here. And obviously they would explain a lot of things about her. This was exactly the kind of find he had been hoping for.

"Riza, Riza, Riza……" He murmured, a smirking at the pictures and small notes in the floor.

**"Just what have you been hiding in your secret garden?"**

Ok sorry if it's short….I know I kept ppl waiting long enough anyway… Oh and Evii is pronounced "Eh-Vee" My mother used to hoe cotton with a woman by that name...I liked it...

Sarah


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